I
t is my hope that the stories in Part Two illustrate a variety of styles of storytelling, and origins of
material for therapeutic metaphors. In this section, I want to closely examine the processes for cre-
ating metaphors, using examples from the preceding stories to walk with you through the ways I have
developed and presented these therapeutic tales. My intent is to be as clear as possible and thus make
the processes replicable for you in your own clinical work. To this end, this chapter will describe some
of the pathways that may be helpful to follow in metaphor therapy with children and adolescents and
some of the potential pitfalls to avoid. Subsequent chapters will explore the sources from which you
can build metaphors (where to get your ideas), the steps for planning and presenting your stories (how
to build and tell them), and the ways to include parents in the therapeutic process (how to maximize
healing benefits). What I offer is not inscribed in stone as the “Ten Commandments of Metaphor
Therapy,” but consists simply of things I find helpful to bear in mind when constructing healing sto-
ries for my young listeners.
POTENTIAL PATHWAYS FOR EFFECTIVE METAPHOR THERAPYBuild on the Child’s Resources and Positive Experiences
Perhaps the most important information you can gain for working with a child is to learn about his
or her resources, interests, skills, and positive experiences. Undoubtedly, if you have spoken with the
child’s parents you will have heard about all the problems they see in their child. The child has no
doubt heard this, too—many times over. It is likely to have been discussed at length within the fam-
ily, to the point that the child is fed up with hearing it again and again. To continually remind a child
CHAPTER 14
How Can I Use Metaphors Effectively?